Clark Freeport Zone Timeline: Liberty Nests in the Orient
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| Anthem: Star Spangled Banner |
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 Location of the Clark Freeport Zone (red) within the province of Pampanga.
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| Capital | Angeles City | |
| Other cities | Mabalacat City, San Fernando | |
| Demonym | Freeporter/Zonian (colloquial) | |
| Country |  United States |
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| Government | Territorial presidential constitutional republic | |
| - | President | Marco Rubio (R) |
| - | Secretary of the Interior | Jon Huntsman, Jr. |
| Unincorporated and unorganized territory of the United States | ||
| - | Referendum | October 15, 1945 |
| - | Concession to the United States | July 4, 1946 |
| Currency | US Dollar ($) |
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| Time zone | Philippine Standard Time (PST) (UTC+8) | |
Clark Freeport Zone is a small enclave of the United States, surrounded on all sides by the Philippine province of Pampanga. Its capital is Angeles City while other cities within the enclave include Mabalacat City and San Fernando. Clark Air Base, the largest United States Air Force base in the Asia-Pacific region, is located within this small territory.
History[]
Spanish-American War[]
Clark Air Base (and the zone around it) was originally established as Fort Stotsenburg in Sapang Bato, Angeles in 1903 under control of the US Army. A portion of Fort Stotsenburg was officially set aside for the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps and named Clark Field in September 1919 after Harold M. Clark. Clark later served as a landing field for US Army Air Corps medium bombers and accommodated half of the heavy bombers stationed in the Philippines during the 1930s.
World War II[]
It was very large for an air field of its day, and in the late summer and fall of 1941, many aircraft were sent to Clark in anticipation of a war with Imperial Japan. However, most of them were destroyed on the ground during an air raid nine hours after the Pearl Harbor attack. By January 1942, the base fell to Imperial Japanese forces. Like the island of Formosa to the north of the Philippines, it became one of the Japanese major air bases in the Far East. Many Japanese aircraft flew from Clark to defend Leyte Gulf against the Americans. During the war, the Allied prisoners on the Bataan Death March passed by the main gate of Clark Air Base as they followed the railway tracks north towards Camp O'Donnell. Clark Air Base was recaptured by Americans in January 1945, after three months of fierce fighting to liberate the Philippines. It was immediately returned to US Army Air Forces control.
Retrocession[]
Majority of the area's citizens held a referendum to remain a US territory after the independence of the Philippines from the United States. In one of the most controversial periods of Philippine-American relations, the populace voted in majority to be a territory of the United States. This was somehow difficult as the territory was surrounded by the Philippine province of Pampanga on all sides. Nonetheless, majority won and the results of the referendum was respected. The area renamed itself to Clark Freeport Zone as it was ceded to the United States on July 4, 1946; the same day the Republic of the Philippines became independent. At the same, the US signed an agreement to keep their military bases outside it territories in the Philippines until 2047.
Cold War[]
Clark Freeport Zone grew into a major American airbase during the Cold War, serving as an important logistics and transport hub during the Vietnam War. Many South Vietnamese refugees were taken to Clark Freeport Zone where many settled afterwards. The enclave was evacuated during the eruption of Mount Pinatubo in 1991 and was resettled a few months later after the cleanup from the ash fall ended.
21st Century[]
Following the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, Clark Freeport Zone was on high alert. As military operations mainly concentrated in Afghanistan, some aircraft were transferred. By 2002 with the deployment of US Special Forces to Mindanao to assist the AFP against the Abu Sayaff, F-15s, F-16s, and A-10 Thunderbolts provided close air support and air-strikes on ASG training camps. In 2003, the Philippines was designated a major non-NATO ally of the United States.
Following the 2013 Bohol Earthquake and Typhoon Haiyan, C-130s and C-17s from Clark Freeport Zone delivered the first relief goods into Bohol, Leyte, and Samar. The presence of Clark Freeport Zone and the Naval Base Subic in the Subic-Olongapo enclave has contained Chinese activities in the South China Sea.
Politics[]
Entry[]
Due to special agreement in 1946, Filipinos can enter the enclave visa-free provided they show a passport and an ID. It is very common for Filipinos to travel or transit into Clark Freeport Zone. Countries that are part of the US Visa Waver program can enter the enclave visa free and can stay for 45 days. Countries not listed require a US Visa for entry.
Relationship with the Philippines and Controversies[]
Despite the Philippines being one of the most pro-American countries in Asia and visa-free access to American enclaves in archipelago, the enclave of Dumaguete, along with the the Subic-Olongapo Enclave and Clark Freeport Zone, continue to be an obstacle of US-Philippines relations. Some Presidents have requested the US relinquish its claim of the enclaves and push for retrocession. This has caused countless Anti-American protests around the country.
The issue of abuse of women and children along with misdemeanor crimes committed by US servicemen continue to taint the image of America keeping enclaves in the Philippines.
Military[]
Clark Freeport Zone is protected by soldiers coming from the Guam and Hawaii Army National Guard and the airmen of Clark Air Base.
Clark Air Base[]
Clark Air Base in 1989.
Clark Air Base hosts the US Pacific Air Forces, the largest show of air forces of the USAF in the Far East. During much of the Cold War, Clark Air Base's activity largely revolved around the 405th Fighter Wing, later renumbered as the 3rd Tactical Fighter Wing in September 1974 and its fleet of F-4 Phantom II fighter jets. It also hosted an interceptor squadron and a flight school, all of which flew a variety of other combat aircraft. Transient aircraft of many types, especially cargo jets, were common.
Fighter planes regularly visited to participate in aerial warfare exercises at Crow Valley about 30 miles (48 km) to the northwest. In November 1973, headquarters for the 374th Tactical Airlift Wing was transferred to Clark Air Base. With this move came two squadrons of C-130E transport aircraft, the 21st Tactical Airlift Squadron and the 776th Tactical Airlift Squadron.
Clark was served regularly by cargo and passenger flights to and from Andersen AFB, Guam; Kadena AB, Japan; Diego Garcia; Jakarta, Indonesia; Bangkok and Ubon Thailand; and Saigon, Vietnam (until 1975). During the 1970s, passengers arrived viaTrans International Douglas DC-8 and Braniff International DC-8s (the Pickle and the Banana) flights from Travis AFB, California (via Honolulu and Guam).
A-10 Warthogs Landing Clark Air Base
By 1980, the base had grown to such an extent that weekly Flying Tigers Boeing 747 service to St. Louis (via Kadena AB Japan; Anchorage; and Los Angeles) had begun. The 747 service was taken over by Tower Air sometime in the late 1980s and was augmented with a weekly Hawaiian Airlines L-1011 or Douglas DC-8 to Guam-Honolulu-Los Angeles.
By the 1990s, the F-4s were slowly changed into F-15E Strike Eagles and F-16 Fighting Falcons. By 2003, A-10 Thunderbolts were stationed in Clark. These close-air support gunships mainly saw action in Mindanao in striking Abu-Sayaff training camps and held areas.
Law Enforcement[]
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Economy[]
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Transportation[]
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Education[]
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Culture[]
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